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It is probably quite evident that there are a number of fire alarms available, and at vastly varying prices, so it may be very difficult to understand the differences between Optical, Ionisation and Heat alarms. This guide is aimed at taking some of that confusion away.

So what is the difference between the models?

As stated above there are three types of alarm, each with its own uses.

Optical Alarm: This type of smoke alarm typically uses an infrared beam between two points, the alarm being triggered should the beam be disturbed. In much the same way as a criminal might trip an alarm when breaking into a bank vault or museum in the movies, if the beam is broken, the alarm will go off. It detects larger smoke particles best.

Ionisation Alarm: These alarms use 2 small plates (one charged positively, one negatively) and an alpha particle source to create a constant current running across the gap between the plates. When smoke enters the chamber it interferees with this process, interrupting the charge. When the charge drops, the alarm goes off. These alerts are best at detecting smaller smoke particles.

Heat Alarms: A heat alarm will trigger if the room temperature reaches a certain level. They do not detect smoke, and are not to be used as a substitute for a smoke alarm, but should be used in assisting these alerts for greater fire detection.

Why do we need different types of fire alarm?

Different types of alarm exist due to the different types of fire. Believe it or not, fires act in different ways depending on what is burning, and is important to identify the fire as quickly as possible. Different alerts are better at discovering different fires, and choosing the right alarm for the right room could save your life one day.

Fires can be particularly smokey, often caused by the burning of papers or clothing etc, and burn rapidly, producing smaller smoke particles. The Ionisation alerts are better at detecting these fires.

Other fires can be a lot less smokey, often being harder to detect, and are caused by the burning of carpets, sofas or electrical devices. These fires tend to burn less quickly, producing larger smoke particles. Optical alerts will be better at detecting these fires.

Which fire alarm do I need?

This article is meant as a general guide, and for more detailed safety advice it is highly recommended that you contact your local Fire Service. This being said, the information below should help you decide.

Optical alarm: Living room, dining room, hallway

Ionisation alarm: Bedrooms, walk in wardrobes

Heat alarms: Dusty areas such as garages, unconverted lofts etc where the dust could interfere with the other alarm types.

Alarms are available as either battery operated, or mains operated with battery backup. The mains alarms will continue to work for a time after power is lost to the unit, but only as a backup. If this is the case, mains should be restored to the unit right away, or the battery changed.

Some alerts even come with the option of interconnectivity, meaning if one alarm sounds, then all the alarms sound. This is highly useful in larger properties where one alarm may not be heard by everyone. The idea is to raise the alarm to everyone right away – as soon as a fire starts – and having the alarms linked together will achieve this.

Fires are responsible for a large number of deaths each year, as we all know from the adverts broadcast on television or radio. This is a fact, and can be greatly reduced by just checking your alarm to be sure that it works, and that it is the correct alarm for the location it is placed. Be aware that alerts need replacing after a certain amount of time, and it is worth checking on the unit and to note the replace by date. If you are unsure, check with your local Fire Service.

Maybe she’s that waitress at the local café. Or maybe she’s a coworker or classmate or even the friend you’ve always secretly had a crush on. Regardless who she is, if you like her, then you want to know if the feeling’s mutual.

Lucky for you, all women give off signals when they’re attracted. Most guys never pick up on these signals. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you could easily overlook these secret signals, as well. And you probably already have. You have probably let countless women slip through your fingers in the past because you failed to see the signals.

But you’re never going to make that mistake again. By learning the 5 most common-but least understood-signals of female attraction, you are prepared to get the girl. Just look for 1 of these 5 signals, and then make your move. It’s as simple as that!

1.) She says your name a lot in conversation

If you find a woman saying your name in conversation, there’s a good possibility she has feelings for you. When someone has feelings for another person, the sound of that person’s name gives them a little emotional rush. (Just think of children in the schoolyard writing their crush’s name in their notebooks!) While adults don’t skip around the playground and chant their crush’s name, they do unconsciously say it whenever they can. So if she says your name a lot, there’s a good chance she’s attracted to you.

2.) She fidgets with her hair

When a woman plays with her hair, it often means she’s turned on. It’s a grooming reflex: primate females groom themselves for males before mating. (If you want proof, just go to your local zoo!) Thus, if you catch a woman stroking her hair as she talks to you, it means you’re probably arousing her interests.

3.) She breaks eye contact first

Poets say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Well, her eyes are also a window into her feelings. It’s a well known fact that eye contact signifies confidence. And confidence is nothing more than comfort in one’s status. So, for example, if you were training some new entry level employees at your job, then you’d probably feel very confident in holding strong eye with all of them. If, however, you were having a business with your boss’ boss, then you probably wouldn’t feel as comfortable maintaining strong eye contact (since your boss’ boss has higher status). Likewise, if you notice a woman continually breaking eye contact first, she’s probably nervous with attraction for you.

4.) She gets carried away with emotion sometimes around you

A major misconception most guys have of women is that they need to “like” you to feel attraction. Just think of all the bad boys who do amazing with women! Now, you don’t need to become a “bad boy” just to attract women; however, you shouldn’t be discouraged is a woman isn’t always in a peachy mood around you. In fact, it’s better if she’s not! A woman would never waste her emotions on a guy she didn’t like. So if she sometimes gets frustrated with you or even angry at you, it’s a good thing.

5.) She speaks in the future tense about you

Here’s a very subtle-but very powerful-attraction signal that women give off. If a woman’s interested in you, she’ll make comments about seeing you in the future. It’s important to note that none of these signals will be overt; instead, they’ll be little offhanded comments like, “Are you going to x, y, z event next week?” If a woman is asking such questions, it’s a telltale sign that you’re on her mind.

Do you really need a business mission statement? Is it just some fancy words to put in that business plan that collections dust on your shelf, or is there really more to it?

One of the key attributes of successful businesses is that they clearly know what they do. Defining the goal or the "mission" of your business can be the key to your success.

A good mission statement does three things:

"States what business you are in." Defines your target market. "Provides inspiration for your business.

One of the best examples of a mission statement comes from Levi Strauss & Co. [http://www.levistrauss.com/Company/ValuesAndVision.aspx]

"We will market and distribute the most appealing and widely worn apparel brands. Our products define quality, style and function. We will clothe the world."

Clothing the world is a pretty lofty goal, but Levi Strauss has the ability to do this for one reason — Their founder, Levi Strauss, started the business with a mission and focus.

Levi started his wholesale dry goods business in San Francisco February, 1853. Rather than hoping to make his fortune in the Gold Rush, he created a fortune by wholesaling clothing and fabric to the small stores supplying the thousands of miners and later, families of the West.

In 1872, he was contacted by Jacob Davis, a tailor who had developed a method to rivet the stress points of the pants he made from fabric he bought from-you guessed it — Levi Strauss. Jacob did not have the funds to patent the process, so he teamed up with Levi Strauss to patent the original blue jean in 1873. The rest is history.

Now, if Levi Strauss was your typical small business, he would probably have spun off in ten different directions in their early years, but the company remained focused on supplying quality clothing and fabrics to the working men and women of the West, and later the world. Rather than focusing on their core market, they would have fallen into the AFAB method … Anything for a Buck.

Most small businesses suffer from this lack of focus.

When we work with struggling business owners, the first thing we ask them is "What is your bread and butter?" What one product or service provides you with the majority of your business profit?

Unfortunately, most business owners can not answer that question. They did not define their core product or service and target market when they started, and end up doing a little bit of everything, and nothing well.

Or, they focus most of their time on a product or service line that they like, without knowing whether it actually is their most profitable.

Fortunately, there is an easy fix for this problem.

You have to determine your gross profit margin from each of your product lines or services. Get together with your accountant, and figure out what you need to do to separate your revenue and expenses by the major product lines of your business. Then, you can find out your gross profit margin, or the percentage of gross profit you receive from each activity.

The product or service with the highest gross profit margin is your core business activity. It is the bread and butter of your business, and the key to your company profits.

Now, you must focus as much of your company resources as possible on this core activity. Market it, systemize it, and turn your business into a machine for duplicating this product or service over and over again.

What happens?

Well, rather than running around like a chicken with your head cut off, putting out fires all over your business, you suddenly have the focus to know where to spend your time and energy. You know your core, and you can work to make a good thing even better.

This focus will transform your business and your life.

Remember the term "Jack of All Trades, but Master of None"? You can not really really good at something without focus, and focusing on your most profitable core product or service will make your business even more efficient.

Does this mean that you should never expand beyond your core? Of course not, but you must make sure you are really good at your core product or service before you venture into different directions. Creating a strong bread and butter business will give you the base necessary to expand.

Your core product or service is the foundation for your business. Build it well.

When you see demons in your dreams, this means that the unconscious mind that produces them is sending you many warnings. The demons represent people who are cruel and immoral, and will ruin your life.

You are probably going to feel afraid and irritated with your bad dreams; however, their role is therapeutic. They are in fact opening your eyes, and helping you see hidden dangers that are threatening your life and happiness.

Your dreams show you the bitter truth as it is, so that you may avoid falling into traps, and so that you may prevent all mental illnesses.

The demons you are seeing in your dreams could be unfair business partners, people who will betray you when you have an amorous relationship with them, or people who envy you and want to steal all the privileges you have in life.

Be very cautious when you see demons in your dreams and think carefully before acting.

If you had the intention to get married to someone or to open a store with a business partner for example, you had better give up after seeing a demon in a dream.

You may also see demons in your dreams that will be representing negative parts of your own personality, and not other people of your social environment. In this case they will appear mainly like aliens that came from another planet, or strange human beings that have no blood.

Images where demon faces are seen in dreams represent other people. When they appear somewhat camouflaged they are a part of your own personality.

In any case, you can be protected if you learn the dream language and you translate all your dreams according to the scientific method of dream interpretation, which works like free psychotherapy. The wise unconscious mind that produces your dreams is a natural doctor that keeps trying to protect your mental health through dream messages.

This protection works either because the wild side of your own conscience is constantly trying to destroy your human conscience through absurdity, or you have many enemies in your daily reality.

In order to save your mental health, the unconscious mind has to give you information not only about your psychical world, but also about what is happening in the outside world where you live, because too many dangers are constantly threatening your mental health.

When you care about your dreams, writing them down regularly, and translating them according to the scientific method, you’ll discover that the unconscious mind is a very wise counselor and psychologist. By following its guidance, you will get rid of all dangers and nightmares, while learning how to live peacefully and happily for life.

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung’s research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.